People Management (Design Leadership)

Definición Rápida

People Management, in the context of design, is the practice of leading, mentoring, and supporting a team of designers so they can do the best work of their careers. It involves shifting from being a “doer” to being a “multiplier,” whose success is measured by the success and growth of the team.

What Is People Management in Design?

Imagine a great chef. In their early days, their success was measured by the incredible dishes they cooked themselves. But when they become the executive chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant, their success no longer depends on the dishes they cook, but on their ability to run the kitchen, create an exceptional menu, and train other chefs to cook at a level of excellence. They become a talent multiplier.

Design leadership is that same leap. You stop being the star designer to become the one who creates the conditions for other designers to shine. Your focus shifts from pixels to people.

Why Is It Important?

• It scales the impact of design: An individual designer has a limit. A leader who manages 5 designers multiplies the impact of design by five (or more).
• It attracts and retains talent: Good designers want to work for good leaders who care about their growth. Good management is key to avoiding turnover.
• It creates a high-performance team: A good leader fosters trust, collaboration, and psychological safety – essential ingredients for a team to innovate and do their best work.
• It develops future leaders: Part of your job is to train the next generation of design leaders.

Key Responsibilities

An effective design leader focuses on several areas:

1. Setting Vision and Strategy: Define the [[Strategy and Vision|design vision]] and ensure the team understands how their work contributes to it.
2. Hiring and Team Development:
   • Attract and hire the right talent.
   • Hold regular 1-on-1 meetings to understand each person’s goals and frustrations.
   • Create clear [[Career Plans and Performance Reviews|career plans]] (Career Ladders) so designers can see their growth path.
3. Performance Management:
   • Give constructive, specific, and timely feedback.
   • Conduct fair and transparent performance reviews.
4. Creating a Quality Environment:
   • Implement and improve [[Optimizing Design Processes|design processes]] (DesignOps).
   • Foster a healthy feedback culture through Design Critiques.
   • Protect the team from bureaucracy and distractions so they can focus on designing.

Mentor Tips

• Your success is now your team’s success: This is the biggest and most important mindset shift. You must find satisfaction in the achievements of others.
• Trust and delegate: You cannot do it all. You hired smart people, so let them do their work. Your role is to give them the context and support they need, not to micromanage.
• Listen more than you talk: In your 1-on-1s, your goal is to listen. Ask open-ended questions and let the other person talk 80% of the time.
• Provide “air cover” and give credit: Your job is to protect your team from the organization’s politics and bureaucracy (“air cover”). And when things go well, make sure all the credit goes to the team, not to you.

Resources and Tools

• Books:
  • The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo: Considered the bible for new managers.
  • Radical Candor by Kim Scott: A framework for giving feedback effectively.
  • Org Design for Design Orgs by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner: For understanding how to structure design teams.
• Management Tools:
  • For 1-on-1s and feedback: Notion, Google Docs, or specialized tools like 15Five or Lattice.